NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 6 – A second victim has died from injuries sustained in Sunday\’s powerful explosion that rocked a fuel station in downtown Nairobi, police said.
At least 40 people were injured in the blast but most were treated and discharged from various hospitals in the capital.
"One more person has died at the MP Shah Hospital. The death toll is now two and most of the people admitted to hospital have been discharged. We will get to know the exact number [of those discharged] later this (Monday) evening," Mr Kibuchi said.
The toll rose even as detectives deployed to the scene of the blast ruled out a possible bomb explosion because they had not found any bomb remnants at the site.
Criminal Investigations Department director Ndegwa Muhoro said detectives were now exploring other probable causes of the blast that rocked a fuel station on the congested street, popularly known for garages and dealings in scrap metal.
Some of the godowns underneath the fuel station where the explosion occurred stored scrap metal and other motor vehicle spare parts.
"After the investigations, we have ruled out a bomb explosion. We have not established the exact cause of the blast but the investigations are going on," Muhoro said.
Nairobi Provincial Police chief Antony Kibuchi told Capital News that detectives were seeking to establish if the blast was caused by gas explosions.
"The exact cause has not been established but from what the investigators have found so far, it is highly unlikely that it was caused by a bomb explosion. But the investigations are going on," Kibuchi said.
On Monday, detectives and bomb experts drawn from the CID were still combing the scene together with personnel from other government agencies including the City council of Nairobi\’s Fire department.
Soon after the explosion, witnesses told Capital News at the scene that the sudden explosion caught many off guard.
"I was talking with a friend inside a vehicle then we heard the loud explosion followed by a cloud of smoke. I told my friend to run for his life. I came out through the car window, I fell on the ground," said one witness.
"I think it was a missile because it was thrown to this side," another told Capital News.
However, police were yet to ascertain the cause or source of the explosion.
The blast caused a fire at a nearby petrol station which was completely destroyed in the incident.
Prime Minister Raila Odinga visited the scene and assured that a thorough investigation would be carried out to determine the cause of the blast.
"We cannot ascertain the actual cause of the explosion but we are optimistic that the ongoing investigations will come up with something," the Premier told Journalists.
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